Mr. Big’s boxers up for auction at Microsoft

But other choice items are up for bid in the online auction, available only to Microsoft employees, that’s part of the company’s annual Giving Campaign each October. This month, employees are holding fundraising events (including a 5K race and 24-hour run) and volunteer activities to support local nonprofits.

Last October, Microsoft employees, aided by the company match program, raised $53.3 million during the month-long campaign. (Year-round, Microsoft matches its U.S. employees’ donations up to $12,000 a year and/or their volunteer time at $17 per hour up to $12,000 each year.)

Some of this year’s auction items include:

Mr Big’s Boxers: A pair of boxer shorts signed by actor Chris Noth, a.k.a. Mr. Big in “Sex and the City.”

Lunch for 10 with Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie at Microsoft’s Home of the Future.

[Update 10:21 a.m.: This post had previously mentioned an event called the Flamingo Flock as being part of the online auction. A Microsoft spokesperson clarified it’s not part of the auction but rather one of the events taking place during the Giving Campaign month. (What’s the Flamingo Flock? “In the dead of the night, a family of flamingos appears in your office,” according to the description. “You stand there surrounded by flamingos, puzzled about what happened. Well, my friend, You Have Been FLOCKED!” (Presumably with plastic flamingos.)]

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Welcome to Microsoft Pri0: That's Microspeak for top priority, and that's the news and observations you'll find here from Seattle Times technology reporter Matt Day. Send tips or comments to mday@seattletimes.com.